ABSTRACT
The current demographic situation in Central Asia has resulted in a large complex of interrelated problems, which have exerted an increasing effect on the social and economic development of Central Asia, and even further afield. The modern migrants are hoping to find enough space in the mountains to be able to improve their living standards. Forecasts suggest that this process will accelerate over the next ten years, since the low level of development and poor standards of living in urban areas mean that the rural lowland population is unlikely to migrate to the towns and cities in large numbers. Demographic and economic factors are closely interrelated. Central Asia's economic growth over the last thirty years has been characterised by the increasing proportion of economic activity which takes place in industries which are capital- and raw material-intensive. The reasons for the deterioration of mountain lands are diverse, and have been the subject of scientific investigation.
